Peach cutter and stoner



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1.

J. H. SMITH. PEACH CUTTER AND STONER.

No. 474,927. Patented May 17,1892.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '2- J. H. SMITH. PEACH CUTTER AND STONER.

v No. 474,927. Patented May 17, 1892 WJZJVE'SSES ,flvr/zyaiz W. K M; W .ziiiorney -me NORRIS Pawns 1:0 PNDYQUTNO WABHINGYON u c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES HENRY SMITH, on LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

PEACH CUTTER AND STONERT SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,927, dated May 17, 1892.

Application filed August 13,1891. Serial No. 402,504. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HENRY SMITH, a resident of Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Peach Cutters and Stoners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and-use the same.

The invention relates to machines for separating the meat or pulp of fruit-such as the peach-from its stone; and its object is to increase the capacity, efficiency, and economy of such machines.

The invention consists in the construction hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a partial vertical section of the machine, and

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail showing a modification. Fig. 4 is a perspective of the machine with a modified detail. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the detail. Fig. 6 is a perspective of a detachable stripping device, and Fig. 7 is a like view of a lever provided with curved strippingblades.

Numeral 1 indicates a table, preferably of oval or oblong form and supported upon legs 2. Upon this table is secured an iron frame composed of four posts 3, curved inwardly and united at their upper ends and formed into a sleeve 4. Preferably the sleeve, frame, and table are cast in one piece, though this is not essential.

5 is an arm, which may also be cast with the sleeve and frame. In this arm at 6 is pivoted a lever 7, to which is pivotally attached the plunger 8, which passes through a suitable opening in the sleeve or guide 4.

6 is a curved slot in lever 7, adapted to receive the pivot 6".

9 indicates a spring secured to the frame and also to the plunger and arranged in such manner that it will be compressed by the descent of the plunger. The foot 10 of the plunger may be provided with a shallow depression adapted to receive the end of the stone of a peach or of any similar fruit.

11 indicate strippers or scraping-levers provided with blades 16, adapted to force the the rough surface of the stone.

pulp from the stone when the machine is suitably operated. These strippers are by preference four in number, arranged in planes at or nearly at right angles to each other, as

shown in Fig. 2. They may be diagonallyarranged, as indicated in Fig. 3. Each is a rigid bar of metal pivoted at 12 in a stud 13, and has an armor extension 14 upheld bya spring 15. The several bars or strippers are so shaped and arranged that the springs normally hold their upper ends orblades 16 in proximity, as represented. The blades are slightly curved to correspond to the shape of the fruit-stone, and are provided each with a slightly-roundededge to enable it to slip over Fixed upon the rod or plunger is a sleeve 17, provided with brackets 17 in which arepivotally-supported levers 17", adapted to support the axis of the revoluble blades 18. Springs 19 hold these levers so that the circular blades are normally in proximity to each other.

20 indicates a hole in the table located directly beneath the blades and punch.

21 is a spout adapted toreceive and discharge the stones dropped from the blades.

In operation a peach, for example, has its stem end placed on and between the blades 16 in such position that the circular blades 18 are in a plane transverse to the width of the stone or transverse to a'plane passing centrally through it and through the seam of the peach. The fruit being so placed, the plunger can be quickly driven down upon itwhile held between the thumb and finger of the op erator with-the effect to punch the stone out of the same, the pulp or meat being stripped or scraped off by the blades ]6. Guides 16 may be provided to prevent any part of pulp from falling through the hole 20. The stone falls into the spout and is conducted to a suitable receptacle, and the flesh of the fruit drops outside of the blades, and may be received in a vessel beneath the table. The hand can be removed from the peach as soon as the punch presses upon the stone, the operation being immediately completed and altogether consuming but an instant of time. The blades 18 cut the flesh of the fruit in halves, and the blades 16 strip or scrape it clean from the stone. The punch may be made with a diameter of about three-eighths of an inch. 5

possible by the particular form of the blade-- levers and their combination with the coiled spring. The use of four blades havingzthe angular arrangement shown and described out any rearrangement of the blades.

.My invention isint-ended more'especially; for. .clingstone: peaches, the flesh of which can-1 not: be :cut into; halves and removedv from vthe; stone with an: ordinary knife but 1 the ma-' chines-will aalso -:eutand -ston e f reestone: f ruit; by them-id of; the followiu g-described: attaclr.

ments:

They. are removably fastened upon the bladelevers1'7", as indicated,:-and in such relation;

to:,the. blades 18 thatiheir-inclinededges can be forced into the cut made by theblades 18,. withthe .effectto: push or strip' the. pulpffroin thestone. For thisoperation thepunch is. remove.d,:and afruit-support 23, which may be a wooden rpeg-with a head-,is inserted between.

the strippers 11,-;which are thereby rendered inoperative, except as a-support for the peach. Inthisoperation theentire flesh of' the fruit is removed, and the-stone and flesh fall upon the tableztogether.

I am aware that spri ng blades orleverssecured to a table have been used to stone peaches,.a-ndalso that corn-shelling devices embracing. bent leverspivoted at their angles andheld against the cob by-springs .are old,

and-suchdevices are not broadlyof my invention. It isa characteristic of= my im provement that eachblade-lever, whichis of an ap-' proximately bell-crank form, has a sharp bend near its angle of suchcharacter that it-providesasrecess above the lever at the angle formed 'by its arms for the reception of a pivot, thesamebend providing-also that. the horizontal arm shall besufficiently above the table to which the lever is pivoted to permit a spring to be interposed between said arm andtable. (See Figs. 4 and 7.) This spring is simply fastened to'the arm and table without guiding-rods, brackets, or retaining-nuts,

and is free to bend in a vertical plane; and,

further, the lever is so pivoted as to provide for :a slight movement in such plane, while the pivot-lugs are adapted to receivelateral strain without the necessity of any special device therefor. The above-described manner of retaining the angle of the lever between lugs by a pivot heldin'a suitable bend not only allows the lever to have a small lateral play, but obviates the weakening of the lever by a pivot-hole, and permits a lighter lever to be used.

Having thus described and-ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be operated, it is declared that what is claimed is I 1. The combinationbf the table, the frame having a guiding-sleeve, the-punch,the bent levers 11, arranged inpplanes at about right angles to each other, said levers being pivotally supported between studs on the table,

the pivot passing abovetheleverand withi'n a bend therein and having eacha horizontallyarranged arm 14:, curved upwardly from the fulcrum of theleveryand aitc-urved blade at the extremity offlits opposite::arm,:and the springs, each having one end secureddi rectly tothetable-andthe other to the =l'ever.arm 22-.are detach-ablestrippers-suitable for f ree-l and adapted to permit a horizontal movement,adapted to lift said arms and hold the blades in proximity to each other, substanstripping-blade and-an arm 14, curveduipwardly from the foot ofthesaizd vertical arm and having its main xpartlhorizontally"dis-- posed, and a spring havingwone' end "secureddirectly to the table and theother end'to the lever-arm, being free .tomove'horizontally and adapted to lift the arm M -said curved portion between the arms being locatedsbetween the studs and adapted to receive above itself within its curved part a securing-pin passing through said stud,- substantially as set forth.

3. In combination, the plunger, the lever 17", pivoted to said plunger and provided with blades, the wedge-shaped strippers, the bars 11, and the fruit-support, adapted to rest onsaid bars, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with a fruit-stoning'machine, the detachable strippers .22, having form of a wedge with an obliquely disposed edge and levers 17, substantially .as setforth.

5. In combination with a fruit-stoning machine, the detachable strippers 22, having the form of a wedge with an obliquely-disposed edge and with the bars 11'and the headed'peg 23, adapted to be supported by the bars and levers 17, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signedthis specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES HENRY SMITH.

W'itnesses:

R. B. MORROW,

W. O. DAVIS. 

